Terzi: the newest Turkish dizi that’s winning over Latin America

Oriana Diaz, a resident of Chile’s capital Santiago, began watching Turkish tv-series Terzi shortly after its release on Netflix on May 2.

“I found it extremely good. I liked it because the episodes are not long and it has a plot that entails you don’t drift away from the screen,” Diaz tells TRT World.

Since 2014 her homeland has become accustomed to viewing Turkish tv-series or dizis after Chile began to show distinguished Turkish shows on national television. Diaz underscores the popularity of ‘Binbir Gece’ or ‘1001 Nights’, loosely based on the novel, suggesting it helped to pave the way for other Turkish tv-productions to become successful.

Inspired by true events, Terzi or 'The Tailor' is the newest dizi from Türkiye on Netflix and despite the large geographical distance to Latin America, the show is receiving wide interest from viewers across the region.

Terzi’s lead actor Cagatay Ulusoy, who made his dizi debut in Adini Feriha Koydum between 2011-2012, gained recognition between 2013-2015 for his central role as Yaman Kopper in Medcezir - a series loosely based on the US-show, The OC. He’s been widely praised for his impeccable performance in another drama series Icerde.

In Terzi, Ulusoy, who hails from Istanbul, plays the lead protagonist, Peyami Dokumaci.

Other prominent Turkish actors such as Salih Bademci is undertaking the important role of Dimitri in Terzi, alongside Sifanur Gul, who is playing the character of Peyami’s best friend.

For Diaz, the character Dimitri played by Bademci stands out. “He (Dimitri) is really disturbing, which is to say, (he gives) an excellent performance,” Diaz says.

With the series leaving plenty of the plot to be resolved, Diaz says she’s waiting for its second season.

At the start of Terzi, the protagonist, Peyami learns about the passing of his grandfather who he regarded as a father-figure.

Set in the backdrop of Istanbul, the show includes some epic shots of the historic city that firmly anchor Terzi in Türkiye while Peyami goes on to inherit the family business and to design a wedding-dress for Esvet.

As the plot unfurls, some dark secrets come to light.

Viewers in Latin America have been taking to social media to discuss and share their passion for the series, which contains seven episodes, often leaving audiences intrigued as revelations emerge.

According to Dr. Pinar Aslan, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Communication at the University of Uskudar, Istanbul, the Chilean tv-channel Mega “decided to take a risk and broadcasted 1001 Noches (Binbir Gece).”

This particular dizi instantly became a hit, with ratings that only continued to climb and becoming the most-watched show on the continent until its final episode.

“It was the most viewed programme until the final episode and it was broadcasted over and over, all over the continent,” Aslan tells TRT World.

Netflix subscribers across the largely Spanish-speaking region of Latin America got hooked to Terzi in little time.

“I saw The Tailor in one day and I was captivated,” Marco Michetti from the Venezuelan city of Barquisimeto tells TRT World.

Michetti, a men's fashion designer compliments the script while noting “the intrigue builds up well and you discover that reality is not predictable.”

Michetti notes how the setting of Istanbul, the set-design, music and the attention to detail in the appearance and sartorial elegance in the dress make Terzi “very attractive”.

“I think that human dramas are common across the world, what changes is the language and the settings and perhaps the narrative, but whoever doesn't know Turkish, would have no problem understanding,” Michetti says.

After several hours of escapism with Terzi, Michetti says as a viewer he became “enriched” by the music and distant locations.

In light of the audience behaviour, Turkish professor Aslan says the Latin American viewers watch most Turkish shows via online streaming platforms rather than waiting for them to air on their local television networks.

Such is the demand that Aslan says viewers from Latin America even “prefer watching the dizis with Turkish audiences in Turkish time in Turkish language.”

Aslan has extensively studied dizis for almost a decade. She says audiences in Latin America find the storylines and characters in Turkish dramas relatable to their own lives, while also being intrigued by the overall settings and cultural elements.

“They also like Turkish dizis for their high production quality and picturesque scenery,” she says.

The popularity of shows like Binbir Gece (1001 Nights) highlights the success of others dizis such as Fatmagul'un Sucu Ne? (What is Fatmagul's Fault?) Muhtesem Yuzyıl (Magnificent Century) Kara Para Ask (Black Money Love) Sila, Ezel and more recently, Kadin (Woman).

TRT has also produced a number of prominent dizis such as Dirilis: Ertugrul (Resurrection) - about a 13th-century Turkish warrior and Payitaht: Abdülhamid (also known as The Last Emperor) - a Turkish historical drama set during the era of the 34th Ottoman Sultan, Abdulhamid II.

Aslan explains that the Latin American market is “crucial for the international success of Turkish dizis since their interest in watching Turkish content cannot be directly related to historical, cultural, or geographical proximity.”

She argues they “should be considered a great potential in terms of the creative economy and included in the cultural policy for the sustainable success of Turkish dizis”.